Expression of Victory
by HeroineCruor
Summary: There are countless ways to happily express yourself, but sometimes they get a little inappropriate when it comes to showing them to your crush...Justicykes, 100% fluff. Written on a whim. Not cannon to Trial In And Outside The Courtroom.


**A/N: I've had this on my comp since late 2013, but finished it now for 2 reasons: 1) It's 29th of February. I just can't miss the opportunity to upload something on a date that happens every fourth year. 2) I'm distracting myself because I just wrote a lemon I might or mightn't upload sometime, depending on if I'm in the mood to publicly shame myself then xD Nah, jokes, I'm reluctant because I don't want my siblings to read it. I hate that they know about my account, but there's nothing I can really do about it. Sadly.**

 **Jead and Enroy!**

* * *

"I-it was you who did it, Miss. Hermani!"

She forced her hand forth promptly, an accusing finger pointed straight at the witness that she could not take back afterwards...it didn't stop her from stuttering though. Finding the culprit was always nerve-wrecking, but this time it was different, she refused to take any thought from her very loud partner beside her. The now accused, with all color drained from her face, looked down, gripping the witness bench in hope to hinder her escape and raise suspicions.

Just as she thought, he sent off a shocking face her way.

"Athena, are you sure about this?!" He tried to make her think over, "Remember, Miss Hermani has an alibi for the murder!" Athena turned his way, gave him a sly grin, yet to take note of the Judge staring down at her with a strict face.

"Miss Cykes, that's quite an accusation. What do you have to say for yourself?" The Judge warned, a hanging penalty in the air.

She shook her head, and crossed her arms confidently.

"Let the witness speak for herself."

"SILENCE!" Blackquill called out from the other side of the courtroom. "You have yet to draw out a reed sword, Cykes-dono. As I recall, it has been proven that Miss Hermani has an alibi for the murder. She found the defendant fleeing from the scene at 01:09, with a decapitated head in her bag that she dropped behind. Her friend, Thomas O'Brien, was walking her home from the night-theatre, and he can certify so."

"OBJECTION!" She shook her head again, "but didn't you know, Prosecutor Blackquill? It's possible that the head she found could be fake." She smiled, having all jigsaws finally put together in her head.

"Athena, have you lost your mind?!" Apollo seemed to disagree, sweating bullets as he had to stand beside and witness his partner making a fool of herself in all it's glory.

"Nonsense. In that case show us. Show us the proof that backs up your little creative theory! That the head she found was indeed fake!" Blackquill demanded, ready to order Taka away to attack her.

"TAKE THAT!" She yelled in the courtroom, obvious to everyone she had been having voice training with Apollo, "Look at the bag," she pointed at a sheet of paper in her hold, "there is no trace of blood in it, meaning that the head was not bleeding at that point. It's not a possibility it had dried, considering it would leave a big spot, so it must mean that the head could have been discarded somewhere else."

"Hey, that actually makes sense!" Apollo concluded, praising Athena for her quick-witted spirit. She felt herself nearly blush, but for what reason she didn't know herself, in any case, she hid her face away from him.

Blackquill just shrugged, pointing his finger at his head slyly,

"Your sword wasn't quite as sharp as I thought. Just like your head, Cykes-dono." He once again spoke in metaphors.

"...huh?" She did a nervous face. 'Will he ever stop speaking Samunese?'

"If we have to go by your little theory, then answer me this," He slammed the desk, "couldn't it have been possible that the head's blood dried _b_ _efore_ it was put in the bag?"

"..." _'He's got a point...'_ She deliberately sent a mental blow to her head.

"Athena, there's a comeback to that question. Big-time!" Apollo said, staring with seriousness at the other man across the room. She chose to glare at him,

"Apollo, how many times-" He cut her off,

"Athena, court isn't a place for concurrance. Maybe grocery shops, jewelry shops, anything, but _not_ the courtroom! Listen what I've got to say." Her head was set on clearing this case herself, but she really didn't know how to go from here, and Apollo seemed to know. Should she really blow the chance of knowing the truth simply because of pride?

"...fine, what's on your mind?" Athena sighed, taking his word that he would be casting light over new opportunities,

"Don't think of _when,_ but _how_ the head was put in the bag." Athena knotted her eyebrows together, contemplating his reasoning. Not _when,_ but _how?_ What was there to say about it? She stared up at the ceiling in thinking fashion as she rocked the earring absently. A fingerprint could be analyzed between a 1 day or 6 month time rate, and a fingerprint or DNA could be found on someone else's skin, though the prints will be a bit smeary and hard to look for. But if...wait a second-!

"Ah!" The short shriek from the female attorney attracted attention from the gallery, as from the Judge and the prosecutor.

"Is there something on your mind, Miss Cykes?" Judge asked firmly, ready to hear an explanation.

She did a one-timer nod, "Actually, there is," She reverted back to her previous thinking fashion, "has the police department looked for fingerprints?"

"OBJECTION! Now that is funny talk. Of course the head hasn't been examined; there wouldn't be any clear fingerprints on the skin!"

"OBJECTION! Will to if the head was fake!" She pointed a finger at the prosecution, and the courtroom began to mumble. The sounds of the gavel echoed through the thick air of the confused mass.

"Order, order, order! I will have order!"

"You caused commotion, Athena! That's always a good sign for a lawyer!" Apollo complimented, typically his style.

 _' Says the one who causes it in the Agency.'_ Athena though sarcastically, yet giggled quietly.

When the mass was quieted down, the Judge wasted no time giving his two cents.

"But I don't get it; if the head was fake, wouldn't it have been noticed if it was?" He looked sincerely surprised.

"I second that," Blackquill agreed, "A first-grader could have seen the hole in the defence's theory. Unless...she has yet to deliver the last blow?" He smirked at Athena, who was a bit confused at first, but after a second, no, third thought she nodded her head.

"I have", Athena confidently claimed, slamming her hands on the desk. It was now or never, there was no turning back. This trial would now come to its ultimate conclusion. Whether she was right or not, she would at least have fought with the best she could to prove her client innocent. If she lost, that would be terrible, but if she won, she felt like she could fly on the clouds, as an expression of victory.

* * *

Athena left the courtroom along with Apollo tight in tow, eyes wide and mouth trying to voice words. _I can't believe it..._

Apollo picked up the pace to stand in front of Athena, smiling brigthly at her flabbergasted expression.

"Congratulations, Athena. You completed and won a trial all by yourself."

The happiness was too much to bear. Her confidence has reached an all-time high. _I did it, I did it...!_ The look of Blackquill's face as she had gracefully, almost elegantly, proved her points as none other than valid, as well as delivering a final euphemism in his samurai language, had been more than priceless. Her heart had made a sprint, the sunshine had shone brighter than ever before, cats always feel on their feet, a toast more than often fell down butter-side up. There was so much positivity in her mind she temporarily forgot all the hardships she had coped with in life. She was an unstoppable force, bound to chase down a criminal who had stolen a lady's bag if she was asked to at that second. Nothing right now could bring her down. _Nothing._

Athena's face _was_ happiness as she stared up at her co-worker with a grin brimming from ear to ear.

"I did it!" Her yell was so loud the bailiffs by the door flinched, the teen jumping up and down excitedly, ready to glomp anyone in sight. And that she did. Such tremendous force was executed as she jumped at Apollo, his face a shocking and, Athena wished, blushing expression. Arms looped around his waist, coming at him so hard that they rammed into the wall behind, knowing that that sore pain in the back was going to feel tomorrow.

"Athena...!" Gaining her attention at this point, however, he knew was a pointless cause since she was blind from euphoria. She snuggled into his chest, arms crushing his ribcage, giggling and squealing. Thinking that this sort of attitude was positive, he chuckled that tension of his away and patted her gently on the head. _So cute..._

That's when her happiness was getting way too out of hand.

"I did it! Yes! I rock so hard!" She grabbed him by the neck, still completely unaware what she was doing, but she didn't stop. Kisses of hers began to sprinkle all over his face, not that inappropriate since he could tell, despite his bigger shock this time, that it was merely a cause of adrenaline and nothing else.

That's what he thought, until, Athena placed a kiss on his lips, snapping his eyes open.

Athena didn't know what she was doing, he told himself. She was just happy, just happy, there was no analyzing to be done here. But he sensed that this kiss wasn't as innocent after all, because she was doing it with such vigor and curiousity, that it was affecting him in turn. He should stop this. He was an adult, and she a teenager. This wasn't suitable for either of them, but he couldn't resist the inner feelings telling him that common sense should throw itself out the window and he should give in. He _wanted_ to give in so badly, and it was difficult not to. So difficult that, in fact, he began to hold her against him as he returned it.

That's when Athena came to her senses, realizing what she was doing, as she felt a force come from him. _Mein Gott,_ _what am I doing? I'm kissing Apollo! I'm losing my best friend if I keep at it! But it feels so good...and he isn't exactly pushing me off. Maybe this could go on for a bit longer...No, no, get a hold of yourself! Be the noble individual now, Athena!_

She almost ripped herself from him as she covered her lips and stepped unsurely backwards. The tingle was still there, but now she ignored it, because the embarrassment that came off it was too unbearable.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Lo siento tanto! Je suis vraiment désolé! Es tut mir Leid!" What the heck was she doing? She could scream the sentence in every language imaginable but it wouldn't make up for anything. She had just kissed her co-worker. If Mr. Wright knew, he would fire them at the spot, because it wasn't appropriate that co-workers behave like that to one another.

 _Dear Lord, I'm deep in it now!_

"Athena, calm down for a minute!" Apollo ordered, grabbing her arms to shake her out of her shock that had stemmed from fear of everything wrong she had done. He could see she was on the verge of crying, feeling the world collapse. There was nothing to be happy about anymore. Everything sucked. Sometimes cats die from falling, there are constant storms, murder, thievery, the world is so cruel, she was covered in blood when she was 11, her mother used her, she's nothing, she's worthless...

She had completely lost it now. Apollo pursed his lips, seeing how her lips were moving, but she wasn't responding. Her mental breakdown was real. There was really only one way to calm her down.

Building up courage and taking a deep breath, he kissed her forcefully, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Athena felt all her pain wash away, all her worries, all her anxiety, it was all back to normal. It was as if monsters had gathered around her, one by one, threatening to make her life hell, and quicker than they had appeared, they vanished, at the moment she felt someone's lips touch hers. Instead, a warmth spread throughout her entire body.

Apollo felt her breathing relax, and her ribcage were going up and down in a natural motion, arms sloppy at her side. _Good, she was calming down._ To further illustrate how much he had enjoyed her kiss, he placed his hands on her cheeks, forcing her to stay in case she tried to withdraw from him because of her self-loathing and self-esteem issues. _Poor girl..._

After pulling away, he seeked tranquility in her confused ocean eyes, patting her head and taking her hand in his other.

"Athena, it's alright. I didn't mind you kissing me. I liked it, in fact. I've wanted it for a long time..."

Athena blinked innocently, trying to decipher his words as anything else than the obvious, because it was unbelievable. All the while having no idea how adorable she was looking to him.

"Yes, I don't care if you're 18 or whatnot, I love you. You're so happy and optimistic, and I'm not going to have that vanish because you kissed me. So please, quit thinking so lowly of yourself, because you're not. Please...you did nothing wrong."

Athena felt tears gathering at the corners, taking a fistful of his vest to softly weep into his chest. There was no denying that he cared about her more than just a co-worker. There was no denying that he had initiated the second kiss and responded to their first. Maybe, just _maybe_ , nothing was her fault after all, even if she wasn't entirely convinced of such.

He hushed her, stroking her bangs which were wettened from tears out of her eyes. Just as she had expressed her happiness over victory, she had a right to express herself over her innermost emotions, and at the moment, her undeniable happiness over having been accepted for her feelings, and even reciprocated. Slowly, gradually, her tears were shifting from that of sorrow to happiness.

She was a lucky girl after all, and perhaps one who deserved it.

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 **A/N: Some of Athena's anxiety in this fanfic are matching my own. I don't have emotional breakdowns like that, but my feelings can often shift from happiness to complete sorrow and self-hatred because one unfortunate incident happened to me. While I don't get kisses to calm down (I don't have a boyfriend...yet) I felt it could symbolize the people that I love who convince me otherwise of what I'm feeling about myself. In short, the feelings expressed in this fanfic hit a little close to home.**

 **I was originally going to have a conclusion to this case, but then I realize I suck at elaborating and thinking of a logical course of action without plotholes and stuff like that, so I went for a cop out. I hope it doesn't bother you that much. Let's just say that the person Athena accused at the beginning is the true murderer and that's that. xD**

 **I strongly appreciate reviews! Feel free to say what you think.**


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